Cheshire East Council invites bids for business support grants

Cheshire East Council is inviting applications for a new round of business support grants.

The council has been awarded a further allocation of Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) by government to help businesses to recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and to help rebuild the local economy.

As part of this, applications are now open for businesses to apply for an Extended Restrictions Grant.

This is to support those that remained closed or were severely impacted by the government’s decision to delay stage 4 of its roadmap out of lockdown and extend restrictions for a further four weeks into July.

Eligible businesses – which include travel agents, pet boarding businesses, nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, wedding and event venues, and those which directly supply wedding and event venues, such as florists and caterers – can apply for a one-off grant of between £2,000 and £4,500.

The scheme is open to both businesses that operate from business rated premises and those that do not.

Applications can be submitted via the council’s website Coronavirus (Covid-19) help for Business Rates customers (cheshireeast.gov.uk), where businesses can also find details of the full eligibility criteria.

The deadline for applying is midnight on 12 October 2021. The council is expecting to be able to make payment to successful businesses within three weeks of receiving their application.

Cllr Nick Mannion, chair of Cheshire East Council’s economy and growth committee, said: “Cheshire East businesses have been extremely resilient throughout the pandemic and thankfully, with the lifting of lockdown restrictions, many are beginning to recover from the impacts.

“But the effects of the pandemic have been hugely challenging and support grants, such as the Extended Restrictions Grant, offer crucial financial support to many businesses.

“As with our previous grant schemes, I urge businesses to submit their application for a grant as soon as possible and access the support available to them.”

The remainder of the council’s ARG allocation will be used to provide a ‘recovery and growth programme’, which will include a package of direct business support, including business coaching.

It will also include a grant scheme to assist those looking to invest in their premises, facilities, or equipment to enable them to re-open quickly, bring staff and customers safely back to work or to capitalise on new opportunities.

More details of this programme will be announced over the coming weeks.